Hello and thank you for visiting AikiWeb, the
world's most active online Aikido community! This site is home to
over 22,000 aikido practitioners from around the world and covers a
wide range of aikido topics including techniques, philosophy, history,
humor, beginner issues, the marketplace, and more.

If you wish to join in the discussions or use the other advanced
features available, you will need to register first. Registration is
absolutely free and takes only a few minutes to complete so sign up today!

A Judo club uses the mats before we do; it's owned and operated by Wayne Erdman; 6th Dan. (Former coach, Candadian Olympic team.) Every one of them - and it's a big class - is respectful, friendly and mature in regards to other disciplines.

So; I don't give two pins what the children on that other forum say or think; it's entirely their loss in my experience. As for going onto that forum; it's an exercise in futility; I for one have no interest in getting into a wah-wah argument with these kids; it isn't one you can win. Let them step onto my mats, I'll answer that way.

I just checked out the "I Hate Aikido" Thread". It was interetsing to me to read these "fighters" perspective on Aikido. When people ask me to show them a "move" I either pretend to turn and run, or I like to show them either "Aikido arm wrestling" ( you give with the person as they are pushing you ) or the "Unbendable Arm" which really stuns them until you show them how to do it and then they are even more amazed at how little effort it takes.

Why am I in Aikido?...because it suits my stage of life , family, beliefs and values etc. Their's ( the I Hate Aikido crowd)reflects this in them. Perhaps they with see other perspectives in the future.

Many self proclaimed "fighters" simply cannot understand how Aikido works until they get bounced off the mat a bit. Tho I'd admit that there are Aikidoka as well who are in the same category .

It's kinda hard for these guys to admit that after years of honing one's physical strength and fighting skills that it may be possible to be defeated by someone who does not break a sweat in the proces.

If one were to enter into that forum to "defend aikido" they would be doing exactly what could cause defeat in reality - being enticed to engage the enemy in his domain under his rules.

I think if one becomes infused by those statements they should ask themselves why - if their words are not true then it should not bother us.

Most judoka/jujutsuka/mma folks I have met have been very respectful folks. Those who were not either stayed very far and muttered comments or stepped on the mat and understood the helpless feeling of being hit by the earth.

What interests me is the responses I'm seeing -- these folks really got to some of us, didn't they? Hey, they got to me too, just because we all have this thing called "ego".

As Andrew suggests, their context for martial arts is tournament fighting, and that's fine. My context is improving my work relationships, handling my mind better, and making myself more efficient in a "one-cut to finish it" type of action, no matter what it is.

I read your post, and must admit the thread bothered me a little too. But if it makes you feel any better, I'd like to make the following points.

1) The threads on the forum in general seem (at least to me) quite juvenile.

2) The respondents on the third and fourth pages of the particular thread seem a little more respectful, and do reprimand the original post.

3) Go to sherdog forum, click "other", then click "the archives." There is another aikido bashing thread there too. Now read it, and tell me if it isn't the biggest crock of manure you've ever seen. The guy is lying through his teeth, and you'll get a good feeling for what I mean by juvenille.

4) You are not in a competitive martial art, and I'm afraid that there is little you can do to impress certain people that are in competitive arts.

5) In my opinion, the art that you, and I are learning is street effective with techniques that have been distilled from historically proven methods. I know this to be true, since the techniques I am now learning are variations of techniques I have used in the previous arts that I have trained in, AND I KNOW THEY WORK!

Anyway, its 1:00 a.m. where I am, and I'm dead tired. I hope I'm thinking straight right now, and haven't offended anyone. I guess I had to say what I said. Take care.

I enjoyed reading the thread. I may have even learned some things. If being street effective was more important to me, or if I had more time in my life, I'd be very curious to try BJJ or judo.

I wonder about the logic that says, "I study martial art X and beat someone studying martial art Y, so martial art X is superior to Y." It seems to me that this overlooks many of the factors that play into success in a martial conflict.

Hanlon's Razor: "Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity." Sturgeon's Law: "Ninety percent of everything is crap."

I found the thread somewhat juvenile in the beginning. I've worked out with judoka in the past. They had trouble throwing me since I used extension and they could not enter. Then they'd try to sweep my feet and I'd just extend and life up my foot. I let them throw me and then reach up and tug their gi and toss them over (usually off balance do to a sacrifice throw).

Does that make them bad or me good. Neither. These were not street situations and stylistic differences explain the dynamics. I think the guys on the site have a bit too much testosterone and too little experience with martial arts.

i read the thread and can see those guys points of view. "too cooperative", "uke's throw themselves". these are the same things i thought when i first started. I still doubt parts of my training but I know Aikido works, just that _my_ aikido doesnt work yet. One of these days I'm going to amaze myself. I just know it.

I think any martial art can be potentionally self destructive in combat because of ego. Bruce lee was not a great MA because of the system he studied, The man trained 6 hours a day. Ushiba would have never achived his level of mastery without hardwork and training. Granted they could whoop my but any day of the week, but not because of their style, but because of their skill and training.

I doubt a lot of those kids on that fourm has ever been in a "real" fight. I haven't I have used Aikido tech before once or twice, but not in life and death duels. The person who wins in Combat is the person who can control their actions/thoughts/adrenelin the best. Sure MA training may upp the odds, but so does a baseball bat.

Training is a tool for YOUR self improvement and hopefully improve yourself to the point you dont need to get angery and fight or do something stupid to get into a fight. Remember dont judge anybody, Ushiba's students say that Ushiba never classified people in catagories of, "that guy is bad I wont help him, or that guy is good I will hang out with him." Ushiba had a lot of compassion for human kind, that is why he created Aikido.

The very first post in the thread is written by a person who is angered with an Aikidoka's behavior.

And that person is right. The Aikidoka in question clearly had more ego problems (derived from false self-confidence which was being ruined by this Judo guy) than the average Judo guy.

If he joined a Judo class then he should behave like he's expected in a Judo class, and not try to make everyone else behave like they're in his Aikido class.

He should accept "losing" in Judo, learn and get on with it instead of whining all the time.

There's a lot of Aikido practitioners with this kind of attitude.

There are even blackbelts (who wouldn't be able to pass their shodan test now if their life depended on it) who always say "Go easy whoa whoa" when one tries to give a sincere attack, give cheating insincere attacks as uke, stop technique 100% in it's tracks, with a fake smile on their face (because hey in an Aikido class you better smile !), in order to "show how to better do it", and when you start to pull it off, they will let go and roll "dignifiedly" by themselves, giving you no feeling of connection or anything whatsoever.

This is the kind of person who would behave that way in a Judo class.

So yes a lot of the complaints in that "I hate Aikido" thread are actually true.

As I am merely a beginner in my thoughts might seem a bit (or more than a bit) naive to all of you. But still, the most obvious impression after reading the thread on Sherdog site is that the words express a lot of violence and that they are ment to insult someone, namely aikidoka.

A couple of rhetorical questions to contemplate upon: Why does one never see such hateful threads on this site? Could the peaceful nature of Aikido be the reason?

My impression of Ki Aikido after a year's training is that violence is exactly what we are trying to avoid. Some of you might disagree, however, the way of peace, serenity, least agressive action etc. remains the main goal in my personal training.

Reading the insults and other rude or otherwise overpotent words made this distinction between Ki Aikido and other martial arts even more obvious to me. Not that I mean anything bad about other martial arts or those that train them. To each his own.

And perhaps a final thought - I simply cannot think too highly of a site where a colour of a belt labeled under the username is a means to define the "weight" of someone's words. If you have something to say, say it and let the words express your mental state, feelings, character or spiritual level on their own. If nothing smart comes out, then simply take it as a challenge and train harder Hiding behind a coloured belt is in my opinion pure vanity. Again, no offense ment!

Such threads are here. They tend not to last long, but they do show up from time to time.

Quote:

Reading the insults and other rude or otherwise overpotent words made this distinction between Ki Aikido and other martial arts even more obvious to me.

Um.... That's an internet forum with it's own culture. It's likely that most of the people there wouldn't use the same language if speaking to someone face to face and people are disciplined on sherdog's when they cross the boundaries of that forum's guidelines.

Quote:

And perhaps a final thought - I simply cannot think too highly of a site where a colour of a belt labeled under the username is a means to define the "weight" of someone's words.

The "belt" indicates how long someone has been a member of the forum, not rank in any specific martial art/martial style.

I think that another thing to consider when it comes to post like the one linked above is "What are they calling an Aikidoka?"

I've studied Aikido about a year. I'm fifth kyu, I understand but need a lot of work on the basics. Does that make me an "Aikidoka?" I use it, sure. I know the philosophy and principles behind Aikido. But if I were to step on the mat with someone who uses Judo, I'd probably get tossed around like a rag doll and if that person is a jerk, their impression of Aikido is that its a joke!

Aikido is only as impressive, dynamic, workable, useful... as the person using it. No more and no less.

Let all the macho jerks of the world keep their opinions. Personally, I'd rather they all think that way... it'll keep them off guard for when they meet a TRUE Aikidoka who will simply just own them.